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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. march — the month
  3. key — the most important part
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. key — in music
  7. charge — electricity
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. march — music
  10. lean — thin
  11. spell — magic
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. march — the month
  15. charge — in control
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cold — not warm
  20. charge — a price
  21. spell — a short time
  22. lean — to bend
  23. spell — letters
  24. key — for a lock

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com